The present invention relates to an intraluminal vascular prosthesis, in particular for implanting in the aortic arch, having a hollow cylindrical body with a first end and a second end, wherein the vascular prosthesis has, at its first end, a first vascular prosthesis portion, with successive rings of meandering supports, and a prosthesis material secured on the rings and connecting them.
In particular, the present invention relates to vascular prostheses that are implanted in the area of the aortic arch.
It is generally known for intraluminal vascular prostheses, also referred to as endovascular stents or stent grafts, to be implanted in arteries in order to treat aneurysms. An aneurysm is understood as a widening or bulging of an arterial blood vessel as a consequence of congenital or acquired lesions of the vessel wall. The bulge can affect the vessel wall as a whole or, in what is called a false aneurysm or dissection, blood flows from the lumen of the vessel in between the layers of the vessel wall and tears these apart from one another. Non-treatment of an aneurysm may lead to a rupture of the artery in advanced stages, after which the patient suffers internal bleeding.
Aneurysms often occur in the area of the abdominal aorta (aorta abdominalis) or thoracic aorta (aorta thoracica). For treatment of aneurysms in the abdominal or thoracic aorta, it is already known to stabilize the artery by implantation of a stent, so that a rupture of the vessel is avoided.
The vascular prostheses or implants used for the treatment of such aneurysms generally consist of a hollow cylindrical metal framework of which the jacket surface is covered by a textile or polymer film, i.e. a prosthesis material, such that a hollow cylindrical body is obtained. For implantation, the vascular prosthesis is radially compressed, such that its cross-sectional area is greatly reduced. With the aid of an insertion system, the vascular prosthesis is then brought into the area of the aneurysm, where it is released and, if appropriate, sutured. By virtue of the resilience of the metal frame, the vascular prosthesis expands again to its original shape and in so doing stretches its jacket surface, which lodges inside the blood vessel proximally and distally in relation to the aneurysm. In this way, the blood now flows through the vascular prosthesis, and further loading of an aneurysm is avoided. The metal framework of the vascular prosthesis, covered by the prosthesis material, is composed, for example, of so-called stent rings, which are arranged in succession and are made of a self-expanding material.
An aneurysm can occur not only in the abdominal aorta or thoracic aorta, but also in the ascending branch of the aorta (aorta ascendens). The ascending branch of the aorta is connected directly to the heart. Starting from the aortic root (sinus aortae), the ascending branch extends upward in a slightly curved shape away from the heart and merges there into the aortic arch (arcus aortae). The vessels of the head, among others the left and right carotid arteries, branch off in the area of the aortic arch. The aortic arch follows a curve of approximately 180° with a very narrow radius and connects the ascending branch of the aorta to the thoracic aorta and eventually to the abdominal aorta.
An aneurysm or a dissection in the ascending branch of the aorta has hitherto been treated by invasive open surgery. Such surgery has generally required two major interventions to be performed at different times and entails a very extensive, complex and therefore dangerous operation, since it is not just the heart but also the brain and the abdominal organs of the patient that have to be subjected to hypothermic perfusion, i.e. artificial, cold extracorporeal blood flow. However, only a small number of heart surgeons at specialist centers are sufficiently familiar with such a procedure.
In the prior art, no vascular prosthesis, stent system or stent graft system is yet known with which the surgery outlined above could be made easier and performed in a shorter time, and, consequently, there is still a great need for such a system.
An object of the present invention is therefore to make available a system with which the area of the ascending aorta, of the aortic arch and of the descending aorta can be treated quickly and in an uncomplicated manner, and which also allows the procedures outlined above to be performed by less experienced surgeons.